


Sitting in a rocking chair in the middle of the night

by storiesthatmakeus



Series: What I never knew I always wanted [3]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Children, Family Fluff, Fluff, Love, M/M, Reflection, Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 20:39:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11859258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiesthatmakeus/pseuds/storiesthatmakeus
Summary: It's no longer a man's world as a little girl joins the Dingle-Sugden family.





	Sitting in a rocking chair in the middle of the night

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to all the amazingly supportive people on here, I've added a final little chapter of snapshots to round off the story of Robert and Aaron's family.
> 
> Once again, thank you for all the lovely comments on this series, you are all wonderful, and I hope you enjoy xxx

‘’Robert, wake up.’’

Aaron had been prodding his husband frantically for at least thirty seconds now. Usually he was the one that would be most likely to sleep through a hurricane, but of course tonight would be the night his bloody husband did his best impression of a dead man. It would be a literal impression soon if he didn’t wake up.

‘’Robert Jacob Sugden I will withhold sex for a month if you don’t wake up this minute.’’ Sure enough, the mention of sex seemed to seep into his husband’s conscious and he was instantly awake.

‘’Aaron, what is it?’’ He asked sleepily.

‘’She’s coming.’’ Aaron replied excitedly. ‘’Now get your arse out of bed, I’m gonna tell Liv.’’

Robert stared at him for a second, completely puzzled by what Aaron had said. His eyes widened once it finally registered and he leapt from the bed, cursing more than once as he tried to pull on clothes as quickly as possible.

Aaron crept across their expansive hallway, careful not to wake Ollie as he passed his room on the way to Liv, who was at home for the summer. Once it had been confirmed that their surrogate was pregnant and past the twelve-week danger period, they had all moved temporarily into the pub while the wall separating the two flats was knocked down to create one massive house for their expanding family. Ollie shrieked with delight as he moved into a bigger room so the baby could have his old one, and Liv moaned in defeat at the thought that she was no longer at a safe distance from her two brothers doing unspeakable things to each other.

‘’Liv, Liv wake up.’’ Aaron whispered as he poked her arm.

‘’Go away Aaron, unless you want a punch.’’

‘’Well I don’t think that’s a very good example to set your niece now is it?’’

Liv’s eyes widened just as Robert’s had done, and she stared at her brother in shock.

‘’It’s happening?’’

‘’It’s happening,’’ Aaron confirmed. ‘’We’re heading to the hospital now, so you’re in charge of Ollie. Try to keep him alive while we’re gone.’’

‘’Thanks for the vote of confidence,’’ she replied dryly, but there was a crackle of excitement in her voice as she said it. Robert appeared at the door, car keys in hand, and Aaron gave her a quick hug before they were out the door.

They took Aaron’s car because Robert’s was ridiculous and he still hadn’t managed to part with it, but Robert drove them to the hospital, Aaron’s right foot bouncing up and down far too much to be considered safe on the accelerator. Luckily it was the dead of night, so they had the roads to themselves. They arrived at the hospital quickly, and once the car was parked they both resisted the urge to sprint down the corridor of the maternity unit, instead walking hand in hand as fast as their legs could carry them.

They arrived at the delivery room just in time to see a baby girl being handed over to their surrogate, Sarah. _It was meant to be_ , Robert had thought the first time they met her, as he told her about his own mother. Aaron and Robert gazed at each other, both suddenly nervous, before they pushed the door open and walked through.

‘’Hi.’’ they both breathed softly, unable to take their eyes off Sarah and the bundle in her arms.

‘’Hi,’’ Sarah replied softly. ‘’You made it just in time.’’

‘’Yea,’’ Aaron replied. ‘’Once I got Mr. Night of the living dead here up.’’

Robert glared at him for just a moment, before his attention turned back to Sarah.

‘’How are you? Is everything okay?’’ He asked anxiously.

‘’Everything’s perfect,’’ she smiled. ‘’Are you boys ready to meet your daughter?’’

Robert nodded softly then pushed Aaron forward. He wanted him to be the first one to hold their daughter. He had the experience with Ollie, and he wanted his husband to have that moment as well.

‘’Hey baby girl,’’ Sarah said softly. ‘’These are your daddies. They’ll look after you from here on in.’’ She pressed a soft kiss to the little girl’s head before passing her over to Aaron.

As he took the little bundle from Sarah, Aaron was rendered absolutely speechless. Robert was right when he had said there was no feeling like this one. There was a gamut of emotions running through him as he looked down at the sleeping child in his arms. He looked up at Robert, and could see every emotion he was feeling reflected in the other man’s eyes. He stroked her cheek and her eyelids flickered slightly, but she stayed asleep. His attention was momentarily taken away from his little girl by a nurse coming to take Sarah to recovery.

‘’Thank you Sarah, for everything.’’ Aaron said softly.

‘’We’ll never be able to tell you how much this means to us.’’ Robert added.

‘’I’ve seen you with your son, she’s in good hands.’’ Robert gave her a kiss on the cheek as she left the room, and it was suddenly just the three of them.

‘’I’m not ready to hand her over just yet.’’ Aaron said softly as he continued to gaze at her, unable to tear his eyes away.

‘’I know.’’ Robert replied as he wrapped his arm around his husband and pressed a kiss to his daughter’s forehead.

‘’We’re gonna love you so much that nobody is ever gonna be good enough for you.’’ Aaron whispered gently to his daughter. He gazed up at Robert and pressed a soft kiss to his husband’s lips. ‘’We have a daughter.’’ He said tearily.

‘’We have a daughter.’’ Robert repeated, his own tears falling now.

A few hours later, once she had been checked over and given the thumbs up, they were on their way home, Aaron now in the driver’s seat as he navigated the roads carefully to get back to the village. She had been a dream the entire time they had known her, not crying once. She was awake now, but she just looked at them both curiously, trying to determine who they were.

Once they arrived safely back at the Mill, Aaron left her with Robert in the nursery as he went to get Liv and Ollie, who had gone to Vic’s for breakfast. It was the first time he had gotten to hold her, Aaron having been deadly serious in the hospital when he said he wasn’t ready to let go, but Robert hadn’t begrudged him the time, perfectly content to stand back and watch two of his favourite people together.

Now, as he sat in their rocking chair, his baby daughter cradled in his arms, he was overwhelmed by her. She was Aaron all over, no question. They have never tried to find out the paternity of the baby, not really caring at all, but it was obvious who her biological father was just by her eyes alone, those blue pools staring resolutely at him in a way that was so much like his husband it was terrifying.

‘’You’re not gonna let me get away with anything are you?’’ He whispered to her. ‘’Just like your daddy. He’s the best daddy you’ll ever have my love. I’ll try my hardest, but he’s a natural. Don’t ever tell him I said that though.’’

The sound of footsteps on the stairs caught his daughter’s attention, and she gave him a questioning look as she tried to figure out where the noise was coming from. Soon, Aaron, Liv and Ollie appeared at the door, their son wide-eyed with curiosity. Robert nodded encouragingly at him and he cautiously walked over, flanked by Aaron while Liv stood back.

‘’Hey Ollie, you ready to meet someone special?’’ Ollie glanced at Aaron, who smiled at him, and then he nodded. ‘’Ollie, this is your little sister, Sophie Olivia.’’ Aaron looked over at Liv’s stunned face as Robert introduced her, and he could see the tears she was trying to fight back.

‘’It was Robert’s idea,’’ Aaron clarified. ‘’Wanted to give her a name to live up to.’’

‘’Can I hold her?’’ Ollie asked nervously.

‘’Of course you can. You just need to be really careful with her head okay, just hold her like this.’’ Robert said as he stood up and passed his daughter over carefully, making sure his son had a good grip. Aaron sat in the rocking chair next to them, watching them both like a hawk as Robert walked over and joined Liv, who was wiping a stray tear from her cheek.

‘’Stop making it hard to hate you Robert.’’ Liv said sternly, making Robert chuckle.

‘’Okay, would it make you feel more normal if I told you what I did to your brother last night?’’ He asked with a wink, earning a glare from his sister-in-law, but she didn’t pull away when he wrapped an arm around her, and she even repeated the gesture as the two of them stood back, watching Aaron and Ollie whispering to Sophie and smiling at each other. They had their family; there was nothing else they needed.

 

 

 

‘’Rob.’’

Silence.

‘’Robert.’’

‘’Yea.’’ He finally replied, sleepily.

‘’Your daughter wants you.’’

Robert turned over in the bed to look at his husband, who had conveniently turned his back on him as he said it. He could hear loud gurgling coming from the baby monitor on the bedside table.

‘’Why is she only ever my daughter when going to see her involves you getting out of bed?’’

‘’Because waking people up in the middle of the night for your own satisfaction is clearly a trait she got from you, so go see what she wants.’’

‘’Well then, all the more reason for you to go.’’

‘’How’d you work that out?’’

Robert shuffled closer to Aaron and wrapped one arm around his waist.

‘’Because,’’ he started seductively. ‘’You’re the expert at giving people middle of the night _satisfaction_ as you so eloquently put it.’’ He whispered, grinning at the brief shudder he felt coming from his husband before rolling back to his side. ‘’Now off ya go, chop chop.’’ He finished, giving his husband a kick to the shin for good measure.

‘’Liv’s right about it being easy to hate you.’’ Aaron muttered as he tumbled out of bed.

‘’I heard that.’’

‘’I meant you to.’’

‘’Well what do we have here?’’ Aaron whispered moments later, taking in the sight before him. His daughter had managed to push all her blankets out through the gaps in her crib, and not only that, she had also managed to slip out of her babygro completely and was now sitting peering up at him smugly, not a stitch on her.

‘’You are definitely Robert Sugden’s daughter, wriggling out of tight spots without breaking a sweat. C’mon trouble, let’s get you sorted.’’

Once Aaron had sorted her out with a fresh babygro, he sat carefully down in the rocking chair, the two of them swaying gently back and forth until he could send her to sleep. Even now, five months later, he still couldn’t believe that this girl was his. She did look like him; even he couldn’t deny it when her shock of dark hair appeared. It was terrifying, truth be told, the responsibility of caring for a daughter. Everything seemed so much more fragile then it had done with Ollie. Luckily he had his mum, Liv, Vic and Diane to look after all the uncomfortable conversations that would eventually come, the awkward memory of trying to have a 'time of the month' conversation with Liv still making him blush even now.

‘’Hey.’’

Robert was stood in the doorway, two cups of tea in his hands.

‘’She okay?’’

‘’Causing mischief, just like her father.’’

‘’You are a Dingle aren’t ya?’’ He asked his daughter, smirking knowingly at Aaron as he passed him his tea, Aaron readjusting his daughter so he could still hold her safely.

‘’Did you know that your daddy wanted to call you Daenerys?’’ Aaron asked his daughter, scoffing as he recalled the memory.

‘’It’s a great name, for a strong woman.’’

‘’It’s a ridiculous name.’’

‘’Just because I didn’t go with Zac’s suggestion of Jemimah.’’

‘’Hey, we both vetoed that one.’’ Aaron argued back, but there was no heat in his words.

Sophie watched Aaron as he took a final mouthful of his tea then made a grab for his mug, pressing her cheek against it to feel the last bit of warmth. Robert gasped as she then let go and focused on running her finger across Aaron’s beard, wrinkling her nose at the scratchy feeling. She reached out to Robert and he leaned in closer so she could rub his cheek, and she smiled toothlessly at the smooth feeling.

‘’I think someone’s telling you that your beard needs a trim.’’ Robert mocked.

‘’You put her up to this, didn’t ya?’’ Aaron asked, smiling softly as he glanced down at their daughter, who was slowly drifting off now. Passing her over to his husband, he got up and rearranged the blankets in the crib before Robert carefully put her back down, now completely asleep.

‘’We did good didn’t we?’’ Aaron asked softly as he gazed down at Sophie.

‘’We did good.’’ Robert agreed as he wrapped his arm around Aaron’s waist, pulling him closer and pressing a kiss to his temple.

‘’So…..you were saying something earlier about middle of the night satisfaction?’’ Aaron whispered, his beard tickling Robert’s jaw.

Robert’s eyes widened ever so slightly, and he allowed his husband to take him by the hand and lead him back to bed, closing Sophie’s door quietly behind him.

 

 

 

It was an ordinary day when it happened. They were all in the Mill; Ollie sprawled across the sofa reading his book, Robert in the kitchen making dinner and Aaron on the floor, watching Sophie as she crawled across the carpet. Aaron couldn’t believe their daughter was nearly a year old. She had her own proper little personality, and she was constantly finding new things to giggle at, making Aaron’s heart flutter each time he heard it. He watched her as she crawled towards their coffee table, and his eyes widened as she confidently grabbed hold of the edge and pulled herself up.

‘’Robert.’’

‘’Hmm..’’ came the non-committal reply from the kitchen.

‘’Robert, look.’’ Aaron said more firmly, his tone finally getting his husband’s attention, who turned just in time to see his daughter walk – slightly precariously – towards Aaron.

Robert walked towards them both in a daze, completely awestruck by the way Sophie moved over to Aaron before falling into his waiting arms. He crouched down beside his husband, both of them overwhelmed as they gazed adoringly at their daughter, clearly proud of herself if her toothless grin was anything to go by.

‘’She just….’’ Robert said.

‘’Yea, she did.’’ Aaron finished, both of them unable to form complete sentences.

Aaron kissed his daughter on the head, still embracing her, while Robert whipped out his phone and took a picture of them together.

‘’Daddy?’’ Ollie suddenly piped up.

‘’One second buddy.’’ Robert half-replied, sending the picture to Vic and Liv to tell them.

‘’Daddy, what’s this word?’’ Ollie repeated, looking at his book.

‘’Yea Ollie, one sec. Your little sister just walked, how cool is that? You gonna come here and give her a hug?’’

The sound of the book hitting the floor finally caught Robert’s attention, and he looked up just in time to see his son run up the stairs. He looked at Aaron, who wore an equally stunned expression to his, and after giving Sophie a peck on the forehead, went up the stairs after Ollie.

‘’Hey buddy,’’ Robert said softly as he stood at the bedroom door. ‘’Can I come in?’’ He took Ollie’s silence as agreement, and came to sit next to him on the floor.

‘’What’s up?’’ Ollie ignored him. ‘’C’mon, you know you can tell me anything. I won’t be mad, I promise.’’

‘’Is Sophie your favourite now?’’

‘’What?’’

‘’You and papa toasty don’t love me anymore.’’ Ollie’s bottom lip began to tremble as he said it, and Robert’s heart broke. He and Aaron had both tried to make sure they didn’t give their son any less attention since Sophie’s arrival, but obviously it had not been enough.

‘’Oh no Ollie, of course we still love you. You’re our best mate.’’

‘’But you love Sophie more.’’

‘’No we don’t.’’ Robert could tell Ollie didn’t believe him. ‘’We love you both the same, and I’m sorry if you ever felt like we don’t. You see Ollie, the thing is, because your sister is still really little, she’s doing everything for the first time, and it’s exciting and we need to pay attention to her when she does something new to make sure she’s safe. And you know, she really wants her favourite big brother to like her and be proud of her, and she’d be really sad if she thought you weren’t.’’

‘’I do like her,’’ Ollie admitted. ‘’But I want you and papa toasty to be proud of me too.’’

‘’Oh buddy we are. You're the best big brother a little girl could have. And you know, I still remember your first steps.’’

‘’You do?’’

‘’Oh yea, like it was yesterday. It was in auntie Vic’s house, and it was just you and I in the house. I was feeling a bit sad that day, thinking about my mummy, and you pulled yourself up off the floor and came walking toward me to give me a hug, and I felt so much better, and I knew then that you would always be my best mate.’’

‘’Really?’’ Ollie asked in wonder.

‘’Really.’’ Robert looked up to see Aaron stood at the door, Sophie in his arms and tears in his eyes. ‘’I think there’s someone else who wants to be your best mate, if you’ll let her.’’ He said as he nodded to Aaron, who gently put Sophie down and held her hand as she carefully picked her way across the room and flopped down next to Ollie, prodding her big brother repeatedly in the tummy and grinning up at him. Aaron came and sat next to Robert, their fingers linked together as they watched Ollie hug his little sister.

Later, once dinner was finished and Sophie was fast asleep upstairs, Aaron and Robert curled up on the sofa with their son, all drinking hot chocolate as they practised his reading and told him stories about all the firsts he had in his short life, and how much they loved him.

 

 

 

Aaron was pacing again. He and Robert had decided to put carpet down once Ollie had moved in, both agreeing that it would be easier and safer for him once he started crawling everywhere. Except now, he was convinced he could see a hole in the middle of it. He couldn’t help it though. He had every right to be nervous.

He was getting married today.

Aaron and Robert had always considered themselves married, even though it had never been made legal. Aaron had put his ring back on the day Robert and Ollie moved in, a gesture that caused his husband to tear up and embrace him until he could feel his air supply being cut off. They had been more than happy as they were, content with their little family and the idea of another wedding never really crossed their minds. But as he watched Ollie and Sophie grow up, Aaron began toying with the idea of them making it official, and once it entered his head, he couldn’t get rid of it.

It had been during a weekend away for Robert’s birthday that he popped the question. They had gone back to the scene of their very first holiday in Wales, and Liv was in on it, arousing Robert’s suspicions as she willingly offered to watch her niece and nephew while the two men went for a post-dinner walk along the beach.

Robert was chattering away about how Ollie was charming all the waiting staff, not paying attention to how nervous the man next to him was until he felt Aaron’s hand suddenly clasp his, causing him to stop. Aaron then took his other hand, and Robert felt a wave of concern rush over him at the look on his husband’s face.

‘’Aaron, is everything okay?’’

‘’Yea,’’ Aaron began. ‘’In fact, it’s been more than okay for a long time now.’’ He took a deep breath. ‘’Okay, we know I’m not the best with words, so I’m just gonna say it. Robert Sugden, you are the love of my life, and the best father I know. Will you marry me, properly this time?’’

Robert was floored. He was so stunned that he momentarily shook his head in disbelief, causing Aaron to drop his hands, the rejection stinging him. The loss of contact shocked Robert back into reality as he realised what Aaron must think.

‘’No Aaron, that wasn’t a no. I wasn’t expecting it, that’s all. But it’s a yes, it’s definitely a yes.’’ He pulled his husband in, kissing him fiercely as he wrapped his arms around his waist. ‘’I love you Mr. Sugden.’’ He said once they pulled apart.

‘’I love you too Mr. Dingle.’’ They walked back to the hotel and broke the news to an unsurprised Liv, a delighted Ollie and a confused Sophie, who was too young to fully understand but clapped excitedly anyway.

And so four months later, here Aaron was, pacing. He was minutes away from leaving now, just waiting on Liv and Sophie who were putting the final touches to their outfits upstairs. Robert and Ollie had stayed at Vic’s the night before for tradition’s sake, but that didn’t stop him sneaking over in the dead of a night for one last pre-wedding snog – and maybe more – with Aaron before creeping back to Vic’s. Liv and Ollie were acting as best men for the day, and Sophie was the flower girl. Aaron couldn’t believe that their children were now nearly three and seven; it seemed like only days ago that he had held Ollie in this very spot.

Robert was getting twitchy. He was stood in the barn, Ollie by his side as he waited for his groom to arrive. They had debated over where to hold the ceremony for weeks, but in the end the barn was the only venue that kept coming back to the table. Liv and her clipboard had been in full force once again, Sophie as her right hand woman, and Robert had to admit the place looked incredible, no Christmas decorations in sight and any eccentric grannies kept firmly away until the day itself. It had been completely cleared out, not a trace of hay anywhere. White satin material was draped all around the walls, and daisies lined the aisle, while each chair had a lilac ribbon - Sophie’s favourite colour – tied around it.

Suddenly, music started to play, and Robert could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Harriet gave him a reassuring smile, and Robert looked at Ollie.

‘’Ready buddy?’’

‘’Ready daddy.’’ He beamed.

Robert turned to see his daughter coming down the aisle, decked out in a beautiful lilac dress that Liv had made herself. She was smiling shyly as she dropped petals along the aisle, but a wink from Robert had her giggling as she took her seat next to Vic.

His breath caught in his throat as he soon as he saw Aaron, walking slowly down the aisle with Chas by his side, the tears streaming down her face already. As Aaron stood next to him, Robert couldn’t help himself.

‘’You look really hot in that suit Mr. Sugden’’ he whispered so only Aaron could hear.

‘’Later, Mr. Dingle.’’ Aaron smirked back at him.

Harriet went through the usual wedding ceremony fanfare, and before they knew it, the time had come for them to recite their vows. Both men had agonised for weeks over what to say, chewing off the ears of both of their sisters as they fretted over their words, though they had never admitted it to each other. In the end, both Vic and Liv ended up giving them a clip round the ear, telling them to just say what the other man meant to them. Aaron had decided to go first, knowing that Robert was a bloody poet at the best of times, and didn’t want to have to follow him.

‘’Robert.’’ Aaron began, his voice cracking a little with nerves. ‘’I never thought that I ever be lucky enough to have all this, to have someone who loves me enough to want to marry me once, let alone twice. And I definitely never thought I’d find someone who thought it was normal to get hitched in a garage, and then a barn.’’ He continued, eliciting a laugh from the guests. ‘’You’ve given me so much more than I ever thought was possible for me. We have two beautiful children,’’ he looked at Ollie and Sophie as he said it, both of them grinning. ‘’We have a family, and I have a man I love, and a best friend. I love you Robert, and I promise to love you for the rest of my life.’’ A tear rolled down his cheek as he took the ring from Liv and slipped in onto Robert’s finger. He could see tears forming in the other man’s eyes as well, and he smiled at him softly.

‘’Aaron.’’ Robert took a deep breath and took his husband’s hands in his. ‘’Everyone here knows that I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, but kissing you for the first time all those years ago was not one of them. You are quite simply, the best thing that has ever happened to me. I didn’t know how to love someone until you came into my life, and I am so incredibly lucky that you chose me to have a family with. And what an incredible family we have.’’ He grinned at Ollie and winked again at Sophie, who blushed in such an Aaron way that Robert’s heart fluttered. ‘’You are the love of my life Aaron Dingle, and I’ll spend the rest of my days making sure you know that.’’ He placed Aaron’s ring on his finger, then brushed away the tears that were rolling down his cheeks. Finally, Harriet pronounced them husbands and they kissed for all they were worth, ignoring the wolf-whistles coming from the Dingle congregation and the gagging sounds coming from Liv. As soon as they broke away, Sophie came running over and Aaron scooped her into his arms, where she pressed a sloppy kiss to his cheek before repeating the gesture with Robert.

The reception was in full flow at the pub. Victoria had worked her magic with the cake again, this time adding two tiny children to the top alongside the grooms. Marlon complained about the lack of icing once again, but before he could do anything about it, his icing gun mysteriously vanished, and Vic swore she had nothing to do with it, even if the large object stashed in Sophie’s flower girl basket told a different story.

Robert and Aaron were stood in the corner, chatting to some of their guests when the clinking of a glass caught their attention. Turning around, they saw Chas standing next to Sophie and Ollie, their son looking nervous.

‘’Okay, these two need to go to bed,’’ Chas explained. ‘’But before they do, Ollie would like to say something. Go on son.’’

Ollie stepped forward, holding Sophie’s hand gently.

‘’Me and Sophie, no I mean, Sophie and I,’’ he rephrased, looking at Robert who nodded encouragingly as Aaron groaned beside him, his grammar fiend husband striking again. ‘’Sophie and I want to give our daddy and papa toasty a present, because we love them more than the whole world, and they are really great dads. Daddy told me that it’s okay I don’t have a mummy, because I have two daddies, and you’re the best daddies ever. So we made something to give you.’’

At that moment, Liv appeared from behind the bar with a wrapped gift. Handing it to Robert, she took Sophie and Ollie’s hands as they all watched him unwrap it. Robert couldn’t stop the tears falling as he saw what it was, and he pulled Aaron towards him, who gasped when he saw it; A hand drawn sketch, obviously done by Liv, of the two of them with Sophie and Ollie, copied from a photo Liv had taken of them just after they had announced their engagement. Just underneath the drawing in the frame was the date of their wedding and a little bottle containing some sand from the beach Aaron had proposed on. Robert gestured for the two kids to come forward and they ran towards him and Aaron, all gathering in a tight embrace.

‘’We love it.’’ Aaron said through his tears as he hugged them both.

‘’We love you.’’ Robert added.

‘’We love you daddies’’ Sophie replied shyly, before taking Chas and Ollie’s hands and heading upstairs to bed.

Later that night, after a best man speech from Liv that didn’t make fun of Robert too much, and another customary drink from the welly, Aaron went in search of his husband, finding him stood outside, gazing up at the stars.

‘’You okay?’’ He asked as he wrapped his arms around his husband.

‘’Yea, just needed a moment to let it all sink in. You okay?’’

‘’Never better.’’ Aaron replied. Robert pulled Aaron around to face him.

‘’I love you Mr. Dingle.’’ Aaron said to him as he pressed his forehead to his husband’s.

‘’Not as much as I love you Mr. Sugden.’’ Robert pressed his lips softly to Aaron’s, just for a moment, before pressing their foreheads together again.

‘’Will we go back in?’’

‘’Five more minutes.’’ Robert replied. And they stayed there like that until they heard Vic bellowing about how her masterpiece of a cake was going to waste and she’d cut it herself if they didn’t hurry up. They went back in, cut their cake, had a dance – or stand, in Aaron’s case – and didn’t leave each other’s side for the rest of the night, until they went upstairs and fell asleep next to their children.

 

 

 

They had gotten rid of the carpet. Good job too, Aaron thought as he watched Robert pace furiously up and down the Mill living room, as the amount of heat and friction he was generating would surely have set the whole house alight if he carried on much longer.

Sophie was going to her first school prom, and Robert’s pacing was the result of waiting to see her all dressed up, and for the doorbell to ring, some no good scruff on the other side waiting to take her out. Their little girl was sixteen now, a far cry from the bundle they had brought home in the early hours of the morning all those years ago, and Robert was finding it difficult to cope with that reality, despite his protests to the contrary.

‘’Rob, calm down. She’s going to a school prom, not off to war.’’

‘’I am calm. But we don’t even know this kid, or what hole he’s crawled out of.’’

‘’Hey,’’ Aaron said softly as he grabbed his husband’s hand and tried to stop his pacing. ‘’Our daughter is a good judge of character, just trust her.’’

‘’Listen to your husband,’’ said a voice from the staircase, and both Aaron and Robert gasped as they saw her; their little girl stood at the top of the stairs looking absolutely stunning. She was wearing a floor-length, ice blue dress and had her hair pinned back in an elaborate braid, something her aunt Liv had taught her. Robert and Aaron could both feel the tears coming as they took endless pictures of her, first on her own, then with Aaron, then Robert, then with all three of them, Robert’s pretentious camera on a timer on the mantelpiece.

Robert’s heart was melting at the sight of his daughter, blushing furiously in such an Aaron way at all the attention, but soon there was a knock on the door, and his earlier unsavoury thoughts were back.

‘’Be nice.’’ Sophie commanded of him as she went to greet her date.

‘’Why was that only directed at me?’’ Robert muttered to his husband.

‘’Because I’m not the one giving the front door death glares,’’ Aaron replied, placing a steadying hand on Robert’s arm.

‘’Dads, this is Joey.’’ Sophie beamed as she introduced him. Robert shot Aaron a sideways glance, and he immediately knew what his husband was thinking; _What the hell kind of name is Joey_?

After twenty minutes of interrogation from Robert and patient photo taking from Aaron, Sophie and her date – Robert refused to say his name on principle – were out the door, with the promise not to be too late home.

‘’I don’t like him.’’ Robert proclaimed as soon as the door clicked behind his daughter.

‘’Of course you don’t.’’ Aaron agreed much to Robert’s surprise. ‘’He’s you, just thirty years younger.’’

‘’I beg to differ,’’ argued his shocked husband.

‘’Oh really? Cocky attitude, smart mouth, face you want to punch. Ring any bells?’’ Robert thought about it, and realised his husband was right, even down to the blond hair and freckles. He didn’t have a leg to stand on, but he had his own argument.

‘’Yea well, if he’s me, then she is most definitely you.’’

‘’How so?’’

‘’Dark hair, piercing blue eyes, no idea the effect she has on the people around her. Ring any bells?’’ He repeated mockingly.

‘’Well if she’s as much like me as you say, then she’ll have no problem putting the smug git in his place.’’ Aaron fired back.

‘’Which will only make him fall even deeper in love with her.’’ Robert replied, not missing a beat.

They both grinned at each other, and Aaron stepped forward, Robert enveloping him in his arms. It was incredible to both of them that even now, after all these years and everything they had been through, that they could still just flirt with each other and have the same butterflies that they had at the very beginning, back when it was just secret meetings and stolen kisses. Aaron still felt a shiver whenever Robert grazed the bottom of his spine as they danced around each other in the kitchen making dinner, or when he linked their fingers together on the sofa. Robert’s heart still fluttered when Aaron told him he loved him, or kissed his shoulder as they lay in bed together.

‘’We did okay with those two didn’t we?’’ Aaron asked, looking a photo of Ollie and Sophie on the mantelpiece, taken last Christmas before Ollie went on his six-month travels around South America. He Skyped his dads every Sunday morning, and it was the best part of their day.

‘’Yea, you know I think we did do okay.’’ Robert replied as he kissed his husband on the forehead, then on the nose, then on the lips and then everywhere else he could think of once they had climbed the stairs to their room.

They both lay in bed that night, tangled up in each other as usual, both awake but neither admitting it. As soon as they heard the front door click and the sound of only one pair of feet climbing the stairs, Aaron snuggled even deeper into Robert’s embrace.

‘’Goodnight Mr. Dingle.’’

‘’Goodnight Mr. Sugden.’’

Yep, they had definitely done okay.

 

 

 


End file.
